I received the funniest (and exciting!) email from my dear friend, Jan, in Washington State, the other day. It read:
“So, there I was home late from my guild meeting and having a piece of chocolate from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (brought home from across the mountain on Mike’s business trip). But, I digress. So, I am licking my fingers clean and flipping through my latest quilting magazine.
And I see this pattern and think, while I am not a big heart fan, this is really cute and I am getting to be a pro at fusible appliqué. My eyes keep coming back to the heart on the top of the left page, the colors are so pretty. But, I start remembering doing a raggedy heart exchange back in Germany and my hearts were so oddly shaped.
Oops, again I digress. So, I am looking at the picture thinking, “I can do that.” and I glance down to get more information about the ruler which I think I had seen advertised somewhere else recently.
And, my eyes got whip lash. I look back to the left of the two pages because I had seen a picture of someone I knew. You!
Congratulations. What a beautiful quilt and wow, another gadget (i.e.: ruler or template). Wish I had gotten the mail before my meeting and I would have had show and brag (as in, I knew her when).
Hope you are all well and having a great time in Germany. Have a great Thanksgiving.”
Thanks, Jan for giving me the “heads up” the magazine article is out! My quilt, which I called “Mod Hearts,” is featured in the newest issue and uses my EZ Hearts Cut Tool. I have not seen the magazine yet, but I’m delighted to know it has begun to arrive in subscribers’ mailboxes. I’ll be running to the post office on base everyday to check my mailbox until the newest issue of McCall’s Quilting (February 2009) arrives!
I’m always honored and thrilled when Beth Hayes, Executive Editor for McCall’s Quilting and McCall’s Quick Quilts Magazine chooses one of my original quilts to be featured in the magazine. Thank you so much, Beth!
And thank you, Jan, for making my day with your wonderful email. You were the first person to let me know the quilt was published. I hope you’ll give the heart quilt project and ruler a try. Be on the lookout in your mailbox — an EZ Hearts Cut Tool is on its way to you. Ho, ho, ho!
To all you readers, if you received the newest issue of McCall’s Quilting Magazine, please drop me a line and let me know you saw the quilt. I’d love to know what title the editors gave the quilt, and on what pages the project is featured. Let me hear from YOU!
Am I blessed or what? Thank you so much. I will start haunting the neighborhood unit for my mail instead of letting Mike get it. I haven’t done a Kimberly quilt in a while, now I have two to do. And I found one today while pulling Christmas fabric that I haven’t worked on since Germany and one of our Quilt Olympics. I made a big boo-boo and put it aside. Maybe 2009 will be the year to finish it.
Thanks again. Hope you get your magazine quickly!
I met a “published” quilter last fall at a large fabric store. During the course of our conversation I discovered that she never really knows when items she’s submitted will be published — it’s almost always a surprise. And sometimes, like with your hearts quilt, she doesn’t even know until a reader tells her. For someone who is not part of the professional quilting world (me), that came as a major revelation. I would love for you to let us “outsiders” in on more behind the scenes PQ (Professional Quilter) stuff. For instance, what is your process for entering a quilt in a show? Once you enter a quilt, what happens to it? What do you look for when you judge? What goes into prepping for a class you are teaching? I’m not talking about revealing trade secrets, I’m just talking about generalities.
I will look for the new issue on the news stands. After reading this blog entry, I went on line & subscribed (I just feel so loved & wanted when those quilt mags arrive in the mail), but who knows when the 1st issue will appear.